González-Rojas launches insurgent campaign against Ramos
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State Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas officially launched her campaign to primary State Senator Jessica Ramos on Monday night and received immediate support from a host of local elected officials, including Queens officials like Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, Khaleel Anderson and Larinda Hooks and City Councilmember Shekar Krishnan and Linda Lee. Photo via Jessica González-Rojas campaign
By Ryan Schwach
A host of Queens elected officials immediately jumped to back State Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas in her bid to unseat State Senator Jessica Ramos, which the lawmaker officially kicked off Monday night.
González-Rojas, who represents Astoria, Corona, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Woodside in the state assembly, held a launch party Monday night before officially kicking off her campaign with a video on Tuesday. The announcement sets up what is expected to be a contentious Democratic primary next year between two borough heavyweights.
“I’m running for State Senate because our communities deserve bold, unapologetic leadership representing their needs,” said González-Rojas. “During a time when families are struggling to make ends meet, our neighbors are asking for a principled leader who will put the interests of New Yorkers first and fight fiercely for our future.”
JGR has already, quite early in the election calendar, gathered considerable support in her bid to unseat Ramos, who fellow out of favor with some of her former allies after issuing her endorsement of former Governor Andrew Cuomo while the pair were running for mayor.
City Comptroller Brad Lander, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Assemblymembers Catalina Cruz, Claire Valdez and Larinda Hooks, and Councilmembers Shekar Krishnan and Tiffany Cabán all spoke at Monday’s launch party, according to sources.
Assemblymembers Khaleel Anderson and Tony Simone, as well as Councilmembers Linda Lee, Shahana Hanif and Alexa Aviles were also present, but did not speak.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has long-standing political beef with Ramos, also signaled her support for González-Rojas on social media on Tuesday.
“Let’s GO [JGR] We got you,” the congressmember, whose endorsement holds a lot of weight among progressive voters, said on X.
The climate group Sunrise NYC also endorsed JGR on Tuesday afternoon.
Several of the endorsees were to be expected.
A member of the Democratic Socialist of America who has never been officially backed by the organization, González-Rojas is running to the left of Ramos and picked up support from the borough’s DSA slate, including Valdez and Cabán.
Ramos saw much of her progressive support dwindle after she backed Cuomo, which led many left-leaning groups, including the Working Families Party, to rescind any ranked choice endorsements they had issued for her mayoral bid.
However, JGR’s early endorsements are already signaling more than a backlash to Ramos among progressive.
Richards, who has rejected the progressive label in the past, quickly endorsed JGR. So did more moderate Democrats like Lee and Hooks, the latter of which endorsed Cuomo in the mayoral primary.
“The coalition on day one is very impressive,” Trip Yang, a Democratic political strategist, told the Eagle. “The fact that she has progressive electeds, in addition to more institutional electeds that don't consider themselves progressives, it really feels like she has a cross section of Queens.”
“It almost feels like JGR is the incumbent,” he added. “This is a real strong display of force here.”
Richards was the first major official to back JGR, telling the Eagle he would support her on “day one” even before she announced her bid for the Senate.
“I can tell you, she truly stands for Queens values,” Richards said in a video on Instagram posted Tuesday afternoon. “We have to have leadership in the office that drives. and drives with integrity, that understands the importance of looking out for the weak among us.”
González-Rojas has yet to explicitly reference Ramos in her campaign comments, but in launching her campaign said that the district “need[s] someone in the State Senate who can bring people together.”
“We’ve seen what happens when our communities are left behind,” she said. “People fall through the cracks and are left to fend for themselves. And while others point fingers, I’ve been focused on solutions — securing universal school meals, defending reproductive rights, and expanding access to health care for all New Yorkers. From affordable housing to climate justice to protecting our bodily autonomy, we are at a crossroads in our society — and I am ready to meet this moment with the vision and leadership it demands.”
Ramos has represented the Corona, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst centered district since 2019 when she defeated conservative Independent Democratic Conference member Jose Peralta in the Democratic primary.
Last year, she gained citywide attention for her refusal to introduce a parkland alienation bill needed by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen in order to pursue his casino plan. The bill was later introduced by her colleague, State Senator John Liu.
Ramos was one of the first candidates and the first woman to announce her run for mayor, and ultimately backed Cuomo while staying on the ballot and finishing ninth in the race.
Her endorsement of Cuomo was largely criticized by progressives who cited Ramos’ frequent attacks on the former governor during the campaign and during his tenure in the governor’s mansion.
Ramos has yet to file officially for reelection, and her office did not respond to requests for comment on González-Rojas’ launch on Tuesday.
